Chatham House Environment and Society

🇪🇺⚡Why renewables and electrification hold the keys to EU energy security Our new research paper by Chris Aylett, Armida van Rij, & Michael Bradshaw outlines 3 pillars for a secure system: 1️⃣The Strategic Autonomy Gap: Why a high reliance on imported oil and gas allows external powers to use energy supply as leverage, weakening the EU's geopolitical hand. 2️⃣Renewable Physical Resilience: How a decentralized energy system can be harder to deplete through physical attack than centralized power plants —a feature already being utilized in Ukraine to improve energy security in the face of Russian attacks. 3️⃣The Efficiency Dividend: Why electrification is an energy security tool in itself. Technologies like EVs and heat pumps need much less energy input than oil and gas equivalents, which can significantly reduce the total energy the EU needs to secure. 📖 Read the full paper here: chathamhouse.org/2026/01/why-re…

🌊The race to secure critical raw materials is turning attention towards an unlikely place: the ocean floor. In the new episode of The Climate Briefing, Anna Åberg speaks with Dr. Isaac Kardon (Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) and Meredith Schwartz (Associate Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies) about the geopolitics of deep-sea mining. ⛏️For more listen here: climatebriefing.libsyn.com/the-geopolitic…

🚗 The US has revoked the 2009 "endangerment finding," the legal basis for climate regulation. Chris Aylett and Patrick Schröder argue this "strategic own goal" risks ceding the future of the automotive industry to global competitors. 📉 Key Risks: • Up to 15.3bn metric tons of additional CO2 by 2055. • Ceding battery and EV leadership to China. • Abandoning global export markets. 📖 For the full analysis: chathamhouse.org/2026/02/trumps…

Dr. Beatrice Mosello argues that ignoring environmental stress doesn't make security policy realistic—it makes it ineffective. Failing harvests and water scarcity are structural drivers of war. 🌍 The security agenda needs: • Climate-led stabilisation (land/water restoration) • Decentralised infrastructure as defence • Early warnings for food/migration shocks 📖 Full analysis: chathamhouse.org/2026/02/climat…

🌊 The UN warns of "global water bankruptcy." From floods in Mozambique to shortages in Iran, the water cycle is at a breaking point. Leslie Morris-Iveson & Richard King argue the 2026 UN Water Conference must shift from voluntary pledges to binding, coordinated governance. 💧 Key priorities: • Formal intergovernmental accountability • Treating water as a strategic economic asset • International supply chain resilience 📖 For more read here: chathamhouse.org/2026/02/world-…

⚡ Energy security after gas: Why Europe needs a fresh mindset The electricity grid is fast becoming the backbone of Europe’s security architecture. In a new piece for @Euractiv, Chris Aylett argues that the EU must shift from a model based on fuel imports to one built on a resilient, electrified system. True resilience requires: 🔹 Electrification: Replacing oil and gas to reduce exposure to foreign suppliers. 🔹 Grid Investment: Treating networks as strategic assets. 🔹 System Resilience: Strengthening infrastructure against physical and cyber attacks. Europe’s energy vulnerability has always been about dependence, not a lack of fuel. The clean energy transition is now the continent’s most credible long-term security strategy. 🖇️ Read the full analysis: euractiv.com/opinion/energy…

🗓️ What does the EU's CBAM mean for countries in the Global South? The EU has introduced a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to prevent carbon leakage – when companies move production to countries with weaker climate rules, or when EU products are replaced by more carbon-intensive imports. But the measure has sparked controversy and concern, especially among countries in the Global South, as seen during COP30 in Belém. In our latest episode, Anna Åberg is joined by Aparna Sharma (Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water – CEEW), Shimukunku Manchishi (Senior Policy Officer at the African Futures Policy Hub), and Ieva Baršauskaitė (Lead on Trade and Green Transition at the International Institute for Sustainable Development – IISD) to explore the implications for a fair green transition. 🎧 Listen to the full conversation here: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/wha…

🤔 One year of Trump 2.0: What has it actually meant for the planet? Anna Aberg and Bhargabi Bharadwaj are joined by former US Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy to reflect on a pivotal year for global climate efforts and what happens next. Key talking points: 📉 Impacts on global climate action 🔮 What might happen going forward 🛡️Insights from the Chair of the America Is All In Coalition Listen to the latest episode of The Climate Briefing for more: chathamhouse.org/2026/01/what-h…

🚨 UPCOMING EVENT 🚨 💧 How global trade can drive fair and sustainable water use 🌐Join us for a conference exploring: 1. How can global trade support local water security in an age of geopolitical and climate risk? 2. What can importer and exporter countries do to coordinate strategies to implement fair water footprints across water intensive supply chains? 3. How do investors integrate water risks into decision-making, and how can this build more resilient supply chains? 4. What actions, reforms and policy interventions can accelerate progress towards fair water footprints? Details below: 🗓️ 5–6 February 2026 🕝 09:00–15:30 GMT 📍 Chatham House, London | Hybrid 📖 Sign up here: chathamhouse.org/events/all/res…

🚗China’s green tech isn’t just about trade, it’s about winning hearts and minds. The new @GlobeScan survey data shows massive global support for Chinese-made clean tech, particularly across the Global South. Despite geopolitical tensions, nearly 70% of people globally are comfortable with their governments buying Chinese-made solar and wind tech. Bernice Lee and Chris Aylett dive into China's "charm offensive." 🔗 Read here for more: dialogue.earth/en/energy/chin…

🌊 The water footprints of global food and agriculture trade are creating a new frontier of risk. In our latest paper, on ’The water footprints of global food and agriculture trade’ Richard King examines how the "virtual water" hidden in global trade is intensifying water stress and creating significant supply-chain risks. Flick through the carousel for key takeaways and read the full paper here ➡️: chathamhouse.org/2025/12/water-…